10 Best Cashless Network Hospitals in India 2023 – Benefits and Claim Process
Cashless Network hospitals are accredited hospitals that have partnered with a health insurance company. If policyholders seek medical treatment at these facilities, they are not required to pay their own money. Instead, they can receive cashless care at a network hospital. When people buy health insurance, they usually get a list of network hospitals from the insurer. Policyholders can use the insurer’s website to find a list of empanelled hospitals where they can receive cashless treatment.
This blog lists out the best cashless network hospitals in India and where you can receive treatment.
10 Best Cashless Network Hospitals in India
The following is a list of cashless hospitals covered by the major health insurance companies in India:
| Insurance Provider | Details |
| Navi Health Insurance | 11,000 + network hospitals |
| Aditya Birla Health Insurance | 10,051+ network hospitals |
| Care Health Insurance | 19,000+ network hospitals |
| Bajaj Allianz Health Insurance | 8,000 + network hospitals |
| Cholamandalam Health Insurance | 10,000+ network hospitals |
| Edelweiss Health Insurance | 6,000+ network hospitals |
| Max Bupa Health Insurance | 9,100+ network hospitals |
| ManipalCigna Health Insurance | 8,500+ network hospitals |
| New India Assurance Health Insurance | 1,500+ network hospitals |
| Future Generali Health Insurance | 6,300+ network hospitals |
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Best Cashless Network Hospitals 2023 – Detailed Overview
The details of the top health insurance providers have been provided below:
Navi’s health insurance policies cover pre and post-hospitalisation expenses and offer policyholders a smooth claim settlement process. A distinct feature of this policy is that there is no restriction on the number of claims that one can make in a single policy term. Moreover, policyholders are informed of approvals and rejections within 30 days of documents-submission. Important details are as follows:
- Number of Network Hospitals: 10,000+ network hospitals
- Claim Settlement Ratio: 97%
- Plans Start from: ₹235 per month
- Renewability: Lifelong
- Covid 19 Cover: Yes
2. Aditya Birla Health Insurance
Aditya Birla has a presence in over 2,300 cities with over 10,000 hospitals under its network. Over the years, this insurer has insured over 10 million people and settled 1.97 lakh claims. It offers fully digitised services, so you can track your health insurance claims and contact customer services via the Active Health App. Some of the health insurance plans provided by Aditya Birla are Activ Care Classic, Activ Fit and Activ Assure Diamond. More details are as follows:
- Number of Network Hospitals: 10,051+ network hospitals
- Claim Settlement Ratio: 94%
- Plans Start from: ₹393 per month
- Renewability: Lifelong
- Covid 19 Cover: Yes
3. Care Health Insurance
Care Health Insurance was formerly known as Religare Health Insurance. It offers health insurance coverage to families, individuals and corporations and has multiple products in the retail segment such as personal accident cover, top-up cover, critical illness cover and maternity cover. Given below are its details:
- Number of Network Hospitals: 19,000+ network hospitals
- Claim Settlement Ratio: 95.2%
- Plans Start from: ₹456 per month
- Renewability: Lifelong
- Covid 19 Cover: Yes
4. Bajaj Allianz Health Insurance
Bajaj Finserv Limited and Allianz SE jointly floated the Bajaj Allianz health insurance policy which offers a comprehensive health insurance policy. It enables people to deal with medical problems and lead healthy lives without spending a lot of money on medical bills. Some of its important features include no pre-policy medical tests, 24×7 customer assistance and a quick claim process. Provided below are more details:
- Number of Network Hospitals: 8,000+ network hospitals
- Claim Settlement Ratio: 98%
- Plans Start from: ₹501 per month
- Renewability: Lifelong
- Covid 19 Cover: Yes
5. Cholamandalam Health Insurance
The Murugappa Group and Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance Company Limited jointly established the Cholamandalam MS General Insurance Company Limited. This insurance provider focuses on building trust, maintaining transparency and using advanced technology to offer customer service. Its health insurance policy offers critical illness plans, hospitalisation coverage, super top-up plans and various other benefits. More details are as follows:
- Number of Network Hospitals: 10,000+ network hospitals
- Claim Settlement Ratio: 95%
- Plans Start from: ₹437 per month
- Renewability: Lifelong
- Covid 19 Cover: Yes
6. Edelweiss Health Insurance
An important feature of Edelweiss Health Insurance policies is that one doesn’t have to worry about age limits to purchase them. It ensures coverage for applicants above the age of 3 months. Edelweiss offers family floater plans, top-up plans and Arogya Sanjeevani. These plans offer medical repatriation, medical monitoring cover, medical referral cover, emergency medical evacuations, return of mortal remains, second medical opinions and compassionate visits. Provided below are more details:
- Number of Network Hospitals: 6,100+ network hospitals
- Claim Settlement Ratio: 95%
- Plans Start from: ₹59 per month
- Renewability: Lifelong
- Covid 19 Cover: Yes
7. Max Bupa Health Insurance
The Max Bupa health insurance company has been renamed to Niva Bupa Health Insurance. This standalone health insurance company was established in 2008 and offers health insurance plans for everyone including families, individuals, women, parents, senior retired people, self-employed people and children. An important feature of Niva Bupa Health insurance policies is their smooth and convenient claim procedure. More details are as follows:
- Number of Network Hospitals: 9,100+ network hospitals
- Claim Settlement Ratio: 96%
- Plans Start from: ₹393 per month
- Renewability: Lifetime
- Covid 19 Cover: Yes
8. ManipalCigna Health Insurance
This famous health insurance company is a joint venture of Manipal Group and Cigna Corporation and offers a wide range of insurance solutions, including a family floater plan, individual insurance policy, personal accident, group mediclaim, cash policy, top-up, etc. This insurer provides quick claim settlement, with 96% of their claim approval taking 2 hours. Take a look at the following details:
- Number of Network Hospitals: 8,500+ network hospitals
- Claim Settlement Ratio: 98%
- Plans Start from: ₹550 per month
- Renewability: Lifelong
- Covid 19 Cover: Yes
9. New India Assurance Health Insurance
New India Assurance Company Limited is a multinational general insurance company owned by the Government of India. It offers several affordable health insurance plans catering to individuals, families and senior citizens. New India Assurance is the only direct insurer in the country. Its details are as follows:
- Number of Network Hospitals: 1,500+ network hospitals
- Claim Settlement Ratio: 97%
- Plans Start from: ₹418 per month
- Renewability: Lifelong
- Covid 19 Cover: Yes
10. Future Generali Health Insurance
The Future Group, a leading retailer in India and the Generali Group, a global insurance group jointly set up the Future Generali Health Insurance policy. Apart from offering health insurance plans for individuals, families and senior citizens, the insurer offers disease-specific health insurance plans, top-up health insurance policies and super top-up health insurance policies. It also provides comprehensive coverage with various benefits such as free look periods, grace periods and lifetime renewability. Take a look below for more details:
- Number of Network Hospitals: 6,300+ network hospitals
- Claim Settlement Ratio: 92%
- Plans Start from: ₹610 per month
- Renewability: Lifelong
- Covid 19 Cover: Yes
How do Cashless Network Hospitals Work?
Unlike other non-partner hospitals, cashless hospitals offer medical treatments for which insured individuals do not need to pay the expenses upfront. Instead, their health insurance provider will settle the costs of room rent, treatment, ambulance, admission charges and doctor’s fees directly with the concerned hospital. Therefore, policyholders can get coverage up to the limit of the sum insured as per their insurance policy from the network hospitals.
However, insured individuals need to inform the network hospital that their insurance policy covers cashless treatments before seeking treatment. After doing so, they need to furnish a few documents, including the health card issued by the insurance provider, to avail the cashless option. By searching for a ‘cashless hospital near me’, policyholders can get medical expenses covered without paying anything out of their pockets.
Example:
For example, if you are a Navi Health Insurance policyholder, you can check the list of network hospitals online. You can also visit the official website of the insurer and check the network hospitals in your city before getting admitted into one.
When you have a medical condition, you can go to any of Navi’s network hospitals. After you or your family submits a pre-authorisation form, you can get treatment at the hospital without paying any cash. The insurance company, in this case, Navi, will settle all payments directly with the hospital as per the terms of the health insurance policy.
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Advantages of Getting Treatment from Cashless Network Hospitals
1. Comprehensive Cover for Hospitalisation Expenses
During medical emergencies, arranging funds for treatment is a hassle amidst the chaos. In such situations, health insurance plans prove to be immensely beneficial. All you need to do to get coverage for medical expenses and inform the insurer within 24 hours of emergency hospitalisation and 48 hours before a planned hospitalisation.
2. Easy Healthcare Access
Getting access to a wide range of the best cashless network hospitals is a major benefit of purchasing a health insurance policy from a reputable insurer. It provides people easy access to medical treatment anywhere and at any time with the added convenience of cashless treatment.
3. Affordability
Getting treatment in network hospitals is not just affordable but convenient as well. When individuals receive medical treatment at non-network hospitals, they need to pay the bills themselves and often end up paying a much higher amount. When they contact their insurer for reimbursement, the total amount paid might not get reimbursed. On the other hand, this does not happen with cashless claims. With this facility, the patient does not have to wait to get funds to start their treatment.
How to Raise a Claim through Cashless Network Hospitals?
Claim Process for Planned Hospitalisations
Given below is a step-by-step guide for raising claims for planned hospitalisations:
- Step 1: Download the pre-authorisation form from the TPA (Third-Party Administrator) website. Remember that the form needs to be filled up by the patient and the doctor. Moreover, you can get hold of this form at the hospital’s insurance desk as well.
- Step 2: Fill up the details in the form and submit it at the insurance desk at the hospital. The authorities will conduct a minute review of the form to check for the accuracy of details.
- Step 3: After the TPA receives the form, they will check and approve it.
- Step 4: Do not forget to respond to queries from the claim management team.
- Step 5: An authorisation will be sent to the hospital providing the details of the sanctioned amount.
Claim Process for Emergency Hospitalisation
Provided below are the steps to raise a claim for emergency hospitalisation:
- Step 1: Carry your health insurance policy card containing your policy number and coverage details.
- Step 2: Your family member or friend will fill up the authorisation form after collecting it from the hospital’s insurance desk.
- Step 3: If you are unable to wait for the TPA’s approval and have to undergo emergency surgery, you can file a reimbursement claim after settling the hospital bill.
After getting treatment, you must submit a few documents to the hospital management to avail cashless facility. These documents include identification proofs, policy documents and health cards.
Procedures Covered by Cashless Network Hospitals
Listed below are the procedures covered by the best cashless network hospitals:
1. Eye Surgery
- Cataract operation
- Corneal incision
- Eyelid incision
- Corrective surgery for ectropion, entropion
- Tear duct operations
2. Ear Operation
- Stapedectomy
- Stapedotomy
- Operations on the auditory ossicles
- Tympanoplasty
- Operations on the middle ear
3. Tongue Surgery
- Glossectomy
- Reconstruction of the tongue
- Other operations on the tongue
4. Nose and Sinus Operations
- Nasal sinus aspiration
- Operation on nasal concha.
- Other operations on the nose
- Foreign body removal
5. Orthopaedic Surgery
- Dislocation surgery
- Ligament tear and meniscus tear surgery
- Orthopaedics and trauma surgery
- Other joint and bone surgery
- Fractures and sutures on tendons
6. Face Surgery
- Incisions to the mouth, jaw and face
- Plastic surgery of the mouth
- Other operations of mouth and face
7. Skin and Subcutaneous Tissue Operation
- Skin transplantation and restoration
- Chemosurgery to skin
- Excision of diseased skin and subcutaneous tissues
- Incisions to skin and subcutaneous tissue
8. Other Operations
- Haemodialysis
- Lithotripsy
- Coronary angiography
- Chemotherapy
- Radiotherapy (for cancer)
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Limitations of Cashless Network Hospital Services
Although cashless facility covers a number of treatments and procedures, there are a few exclusions as follows:
- Hospitalisation due to wars, chemical reactions, weapons and radiation.
- Suicide attempts, self-injury resulting in hospitalisation.
- Hospitalisation resulting from consumption of alcohol or drugs.
- HIV/AIDS treatment.
- Mental disorders and congenital diseases.
- Cost of non-medical items such as spectacles, supplements, etc.
Reputed insurance providers like Navi offer comprehensive health benefits coverage from over 10,000 network hospitals across 400 locations with premiums starting as low as INR 241 per month. Download the Navi App and obtain cashless claims in under 20 minutes.
Final Word
Cashless network hospitals offer a host of benefits that help policyholders secure their finances every time they opt for medical treatment. Therefore, the next time you search for ‘cashless hospital near me’, make sure to go through the list properly, check the benefits offered and other details before choosing the best cashless network hospital to make an informed choice and not choose something in haste.
FAQs
No. Insurance companies do not charge any additional amount for the cashless claim facility. However, policyholders must intimate the insurance company while getting admitted to a hospital to avail the benefits.
Not all hospitals have tie-ups with insurance companies. Therefore, it is vital to go through the insurer’s website to check the list of network hospitals before getting treatment.
In case an insurance company does not have a cashless facility, policyholders can opt for reimbursement.
A hospital which has an agreement with the insurance provider is known as a network hospital and cashless facilities are provided here. On the other hand, insurance companies can have special ties with certain medical centres called agreed network hospitals. Here, policyholders can receive special discounts, features and cashless facilities.
Recently, the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) has stated that insurance providers and TPAs can get a discount of up to 20% on hospital bills. Moreover, hospitals need to reflect the discounts on the final bill so that policyholders are aware of it as well. The discount is provided to the insurer, not to the policyholder but the latter benefits from it as well.
Empanelled hospitals where health insurance policyholders can receive cashless treatment facilities are referred to as network hospitals. While the network hospital benefits from getting more patients, policyholders receive the benefit of lesser fees.
Policyholders do not receive such benefits if they visit a non-network hospital. They have to pay their own medical bills. While they can raise a reimbursement claim with the insurer, the latter may or may not agree to reimburse it.
Only network hospitals offer cashless services. Non-network hospitals are those with whom we have no agreement with, and any policyholder seeking treatment in these hospitals must pay for the treatment and then file a claim as per the reimbursement procedure.
This means that if the hospital offers a 10% discount and the overall cost of care is Rs. 8 lakh but the hospitalisation costs Rs. 9 lakh, the final bill will be Rs. 8.4 lakh (10% reduction on Rs. 9 lakh).
Policyholders don’t have to worry about arranging the necessary funds for treatment when they use network hospitals,the health insurance provider handles it. While on the other hand, policyholders receiving treatment at non-network hospitals will need to arrange for funds themselves because they will be responsible for the entire cost of treatment out of their own pockets.
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Disclaimer: This article has been prepared on the basis of internal data, publicly available information and other sources believed to be reliable. The information contained in this article is for general purposes only and not a complete disclosure of every material fact. It should not be construed as investment advice to any party. The article does not warrant the completeness or accuracy of the information, and disclaims all liabilities, losses and damages arising out of the use of this information. Readers shall be fully liable/responsible for any decision taken on the basis of this article.
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